


Scars

by coldfusion9797



Series: For The Fans [3]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Jurassic Park (Movies) RPF
Genre: Implied/Referenced Abuse, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 15:52:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17831561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldfusion9797/pseuds/coldfusion9797
Summary: Joe will always fight for Ben.





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something funny, but my bitch anxiety has decided to rear it's ugly head again for no apparent reason, and the next part of the story came out like this.

Funny things happen on set, but so do things that aren't funny.

Most mornings there are rewrites, sometimes just an extra line or two, other times it's pages.

This time it's not dialogue, but an action, and Ben's not happy.

"I said I didn't wanna do this!" he yells, waving the new page at Joe, a little bit of diva Roger flaring to the surface. 

"I know. I'll deal with it." And he will, this is why he stuck his neck out to be a producer, so he could put the foot down on shit like this. So he could protect Ben.

"You better..." Ben warns.

"I said I would." There's an edge to his own voice now. It's unfair of Ben to blame him for this.

They've never really fought before, and Joe's just wondering if this is how their first fight will start, when Ben bites his lip and throws himself forward.

Joe has just enough time to unfold his arms and catch him.

"I'm sorry, it's not you. I just..."

He's holding on tight, breathing too fast, shaking a little too, and Joe wraps him up, tells him it's gonna be okay. He wants Ben to know he can be trusted, wants him to feel safe.

Yeah, it's true that Ben's ridiculously attractive, but there's a downside to being gorgeous, everyone thinks it's their right to look. Never mind that he's talented, that he had five fucking minutes of screen time in Mary Shelley, wearing a cravat-necktie thingy up to his bloody ears and still stole the show. Apparently it's entirely necessary to have him shirtless in this scene. But Ben's been there, done that, back when he was too young and powerless to refuse. 

"It's alright," Joe tells him, keeping his voice low and calm. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Joe knows that hasn't always been the case, and he's finding out now that it left scars. On BoRhap, he even witnessed it to a small degree, thank fuck Rami was there to stand up for them all. He will always owe Rami for that, they all will. But it's up to Joe to be the strong one now.

Ben pulls back, and looks him in the eye, then presses a firm kiss to his mouth, a confirmation for himself, Joe thinks, more than an offering.

"Thank you. And I am sorry."

 _Me too_ , Joe thinks, if he could undo the wrongs he would. But he can't. All he can do is look forward, take care of the future, and try his best to make sure it's a good one for Ben.

\---

Ben watches Joe slap the script page down on the table. He's fired up.

"What happened to 'Chris is the star'?"

Everyone knows Chris worked his arse off to get in shape. He wants people to see the result, he lost his marriage over it for Christ's sake.

"He still is, but Ben's hot property right now."

Ben finds that incredibly offensive, but apparently not as offensive as Joe does. Ben's never quite seen that look in his eyes before.

"Don't speak about Ben like that again. He's a human being, not a puppet for you to play with however you want."

The look she throws him, says she disagrees. Then she levels her gaze back on Joe.

"You're holding up production."

"No," Joe argues. "You are. Make the change."

"It's too late."

That's when Joe gets really scary, goes kind of still and cold.

"Put it this way, if it doesn't get rewritten, you can find another Tim."

That's impossible, which is what makes it an effective ultimatum. 

"You have contractual obligations."

"And so does the studio. Better check the fine print, I can walk without penalty at anytime." She goes to argue, threaten maybe, but Joe preempts it. "And don't think I give more of a shit about my career than this. I have nothing left to prove. Being a child actor puts a lot of things in perspective, and I can tell you that acting is just a job. It comes and goes like everything in life. I don't need to work."

He's got her and she knows it. It's pretty clear what Joe's number one priority is here, and Ben can't even begin to put into words how much that means. 

She gives in, because if Joe walks now, halfway through a two-hundred million dollar production, with the fans totally psyched for Tim's return, this movie will be a disaster. 

They step out of the office victorious, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste. It's not exactly the experience Ben would have wanted for Joe on his return to the Jurassic franchise. Still, Ben couldn't be more in love than he is right now. Joe was brilliant, all for him, but there's one thing he said that Ben can't agree with.

"Joe?"

Joe turns to him, eyes hard, still worked up. Ben reaches out and rests a hand on his arm, giving him a soft smile. 

"Some things stick."

Immediately Joe melts, and Ben goes to him, lets Joe wrap him up, and neither of them give two shits who's watching. Nothing is more important than this.

**Author's Note:**

> I read an interview with Ben talking about how he preferred to take roles in period dramas because he knew he wouldn't have to take his clothes off. It was pretty sad actually.


End file.
